The Huntsman
by diAngelo57
Summary: Emma has broken the curse, but there are still problems to face in Storybrooke; Rumple is facing dating issues, the town wonders why they weren't transported back to the Enchanted Forest, and Regina is up to no good. Then one day, an assumed deadman appears, shocking everyone and a certain blonde sheriff. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters.) **

**Hi guys! I know its been a while since this story has been up, but some of you might remember it. I apologize that it was deleted from the site; some filthy hacker destroyed my account and all my stories. Luckily, I had two of them saved on my laptop, and I decided to re-upload them today :D So, for those of you who still care about Gremma, let the story begin...**

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Emma's POV

I unlocked the door to my office and tiredly sat down at my desk, breathing a sigh of relief. My kid was safe, and that was all that mattered at the moment. I looked at at the recently taken picture of Henry and I that rested on a pile of papers. His face shone with pure happiness, and I had one arm around him. I smiled at the photo, and then looked around the office. Everything was still in place, even after the mysterious purple mist had engulfed the town. The small jail cell was firmly locked and Graham's leather jacket hung on the coat hanger. Graham. I felt a small, painful tug at my heart. I stared at it for a moment, and then stood up and unhooked it off the hanger. I rubbed my thumb against the soft, black leather and pressed it to my face. His musky scent had long since faded from it, but just holding it gave me something emotionally stable to cling to.I felt an annoying prickle behind my eyes, and wiped the wetness off my eyelashes. After what I had been through that day, it probably would've felt good to cry a little (I slew a freaking dragon for Pete's sake!), but l didn't want to have black Mascara lines running down my face. Instead, I hesitantly slipped the coat under my arm and stared at the red cloth on the neck of it.

I decided to take the jacket home with me that night, and I set it in the passenger seat of my police car. Just as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw a brief flash of lightning and rain started to pour down. "Seriously?" I muttered, flicking the windshield wipers on. The rain sounded like pebbles as it splattered against the glass, and I drove slowly even though the road was almost bare. I rounded the corner around Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop and turned onto the emptier street that led further into town. My headlights glowed and I saw something in the road. My car screeched to a stop, and standing a few feet away was a dark, canine looking form. I gazed at the wolf through the glass, my heartbeat quickening as it sat down and whimpered. I swallowed hard and tried to frighten it off by beeping the car horn. The animal's red and black eyes gleamed, and it howled. It at gazed at me for a few minutes, then padded off into the rain. With wide eyes, I recognized it at the last second. "Wait, don't leave!" I yelled frantically, suddenly terrified at the thought of it leaving. But the wolf's presence was already long gone, and I hit the dashboard in frustration. At the impact, the passengers compartment swung open and papers fell out everywhere, littering the car floor. I huffed, irritated, and began to pick up the files. Just as I was showing the last folder into the compartment, a small envelope fluttered down out of it, landing face up. I gazed at the scrawled handwriting, and saw my name addressed to it. Shakily picking up the folded piece of paper, I opened it:

_My dearest Emma,_

_It's strange the things you'll find when you're not looking for them. I've been drifting through my own life, cut off from feeling for others or letting them feel for me. I wasn't looking for someone to snap me out of this lonely existence—or I didn't realize I was–until I met you. And what a curious person to bring this all to light. You too go through life at a distance from those around you. It's ironic–or maybe fitting–that we'd get close to no one, except maybe each other. The difference is, you do it by choice. And I can't think of a sadder reason to love someone than because they also cannot truly love. And yet...well, maybe those aren't words for a may be my only chance to feel again, to fill this void where I cannot be sure a heart did once beat, and I wonder if I might be your only chance to tear down the walls you've built around yourself. For both our sakes, I hope thats not the case. But if it is, my greatest wish is that we be together._

_Yours, Graham._

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Unknown's POV

I drew my hood up and entered the dark forest, treading lightly over the bracken. The trees soon blocked out any moonlight that could be seen, and shadows littered the ground. I clutched a small, wooden box to my chest and carefully hid it between the folds of my cloak, essential that no one could see it. I could feel the warm beating of it through the wood. Soon, I made it to a clearing in the forest where a small headstone rested. to a clearing in the forest where a small headstone rested. I set the box down on the frosty ground and began to dig with my bare hands. Dirt, ice, and clay became lodged under my fingernails, and soon my fingers scraped against something solid. I dug around it until I could see the object I had been looking for; it was a casket. I pushed hard against the lid and the stone covering slid off. A man in maybe his late twenties lay inside, dead as a door nail. He had curly, dirty blonde hair, and a little bit of stubble on his chin. I exhaled, my breath visible in the cold, and retrieved the small box I had been carrying earlier. I opened the lid and withdrew a warm, glowing, beating heart. With shaking hands, I pressed it to the man's chest, right over where his heart should be. A purple shimmer swirled around my hands, and the heart sank miraculously into his chest. Color surged back into the man's face, and he began to breath again, his eyes still closed. Silently, I took off running into the woods, leaving my cloak behind.

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**A little cliffhanger for you all :) Who do you think is the mysterious 'Unknown'? Graham's letter may be familiar. A couple months ago, the creators of OUaT created a Facebook game where you could find clues and your prize for finding them would be extra tidbits they didn't include onscreen. Graham's letter was one of them. ****Please remember to comment and review; I like to know what my readers are thinking!** Next chapter will be re-uploaded soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! So chapter 2 is up again :D I re-wrote it a little differently this time, so you're not crazy if you think there are new parts. I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters except for annoying little Regan :) Enjoy.**

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Emma's POV

(Three days later...)

It was Thursday night, and David took Snow, Henry, and I out for dinner at Granny's. Things had gotten chaotic since the curse broke, and we all needed a little relaxation.

"Why tonight?" I asked him, zipping up my red leather jacket. "I don't know," David said simply. "Tonight seems special, and we need to talk. We're family now."

I shook my head, still not quite used to this age thing. "Look, if you expect me to start calling you 'Dad' then you're out of luck."

"Hey, Gramps!" Henry came happily trotting up along side Mary Margaret.

"Hey there, champ! Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Henry said happily, wrapping his little gray and red scarf around his neck. "Let's go!"

We drove for about five minutes, talking aimlessly about Henry's fencing lessons with David. "So how's your riding going? Haven't gotten trampled yet?" I half joked. "Not yet, but Gramps said he'll teach me to fight on horseback next," I'd never heard him so excited about something other than his 'fairy tale' book. "That's good, kid. Just don't accidentally stab yourself or something."

Henry laughed. "So far I haven't."

I smiled to myself as we pulled around onto the main street and into the parking lot outside Granny's. David's truck was already there, so I figured they were already inside. I turned my phone onto vibrate and locked the car with a little _beep_.

Mary Margaret and David had gotten us a booth in the corner, and had already ordered drinks. Henry plopped onto the seat beside David, and I sat down across from them with Mary Margaret.

"So...David and I were thinking that since you've sort of regained custody of Henry, that you should have him move in with us," she began, getting straight to the point. "What? You're serious? A small house with four people? Is there even any room?" I asked, my jaw hanging slightly open. "We're a family now, isn't this what we've always wanted?" she said, looking slightly hurt. "No, no, no, no! That's not what I meant," I sighed, "I mean, it's great to have finally found you, but is it really a good idea for a kid to be living with three almost 30 year olds?" I lowered my voice and looked pointedly at Mary Margaret and David. "I mean, who knows what you two get up to in your free time."

Mary Margaret's face flushed bright pink an opened her mouth to retort when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I held up my finger, mouthing 'one second' and answered it.

"Hello? Emma Swan speaking." "Emma," one of my employees, Regan, spoke. "Regan, _why_ are you calling this late? I thought I told you I was taking the night off," I snapped.

"I-I know," his voice sounded shaky. "But I need you to get down to the office as soon as possible; there's s-someone here you need to see." He hung up.

I stared at my phone for a moment, then said to the others, "I'm sorry, guys, but duty calls."

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Emma's POV

I started my car as quickly as I could, not even bothering to put my coat back on. Whatever was the problem, Regan had sounded absolutely terrified, and I knew I had to get there as soon as possible. I pressed my foot down hard on the gas pedal, figuring it couldn't hurt just this once to speed a little.

I pulled up into the parking lot less than five minutes later, and practically leapt out of the car before I'd even shifted the stupid thing into park. I burst through the doors of my office, seeing Regan looking at someone sitting at the far end of the room. I nearly had a fatal heart attack.

A man with curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes sat in the chair at my desk, dressed in a vest and black trousers. His leather belt was strapped in place and the old police flashlight was hooked to the side of it.

In other words, my old sheriff sat there, looking more alive than ever.

"Emma." His thick, Scottish accent resounded to my ears. I stared at him, my throat going completely dry. My brain didn't register what he said. I just stared.

"Graham?" I barely squeaked out the words, and my voice cracked. His blue eyes smiled at me, sparkling with life. "Y–You're alive?" Graham stood up and smiled a little.

He took my hand and held it up against his chest. "See? I'm all flesh and blood."

I felt the steady throbbing of his heart through his vest. "N-no," I took a shaky step backwards. "I felt you die. I literally felt you die!"

"Emma, please believe me." Graham begged. "I lo—"

I shook my head no, my eyes starting to wet. "I can't. Its been seven months since you died. _Seven months, _Graham! I've already lived through the pain of being abandoned by someone I loved. I won't relive that."

"You've loved somebody before?" Graham asked, quietly. "Yes!" I practically screamed. "Yes, I've loved someone before, and they left me to rot in jail. Then Mary Margaret told me to let my walls down and actually try to feel again, and I did. Then look what happened with you!" My voice cracked again, and my throat burned ..

"So you went through something like that?" Graham asked softly.

"I'll call the police if you don't stop!" I yelled.

"You are the police. _We_ are."

I took a few deep breaths, looked up at him, and tried to calm down. "I'm calling Dr. Hopper," I decided, wiping my eyes. "He can tell me if I'm hallucinating or not." "

Graham relaxed.

I punched in the number on my cell phone, breathing heavily. "Dr. Hopper? Hi, it's Em—Sheriff Swan," I began.

"Emma? Why are you calling so late?" Dr. Hopper asked curiously. "Well, I think I'm having hallucinations; could you come by the police station so we could talk? Its very important," I said, willing him to agree.

"I—sure, but could you perhaps tell me exactly whats the matter first?" he sounded concerned. I took a deep breath. "I think I'm seeing dead people."

Dr. Hopper told me he would drive down as soon as possible, and that I should try to relax until he arrived. "At least I'm seeing him too," Regan said, trying to comfort me. Graham glared at him. "Why did you hire a new employee?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"It's been tough working the entire shift by myself," I said. "A lot has changed since you died."

Graham's eyes darkened and he stared at the wall. "I do remember it–dying, I mean," he muttered. "I remember...the last thing I saw was your face leaning over me." Regan coughed uncomfortably. I glared at him, them turned back to Graham. "Continue," I said.

"The next thing I felt was complete blackness...and then I was out in the woods again, alive."

"How?" I asked, forgetting my previous disbelief.

"I don't know. I-I think I was in a grave, but someone had dug me out. There was a cloak on the ground when I started walking, and a lot of dirt scattered everywhere."

I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. "In your grave?"

Graham nodded, looking slightly sick.

I heard a knock at the door, and turned to see Dr. Hopper's reddish-brown haired face peeping around the corner. His eyes widened when he saw Graham, but his personality remained calm. "Sheriff?"

"Dr. Hopper," I sighed in relief. "Come right on in."

Dr. Hopper pulled up a chair in front of my desk and angled it so he could see all three of us. "Please tell me you can see him too!" I flicked my eyes over towards Graham.

"Y-Yes, I can. How—when–?" he stuttered. "I thought you were dead!" Graham rolled his eyes. "Not even a 'welcome back!' or an 'I've missed you!'"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Hopper apologized, still greatly stunned. "Now, how about you tell me how all of this began..."

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**Thats it for chapter 2 guys! Hopefully you enjoyed their reunion. Please remember to comment and review!**


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